Vegan Bounce Energy Balls – Review + Recipes!

Small but mighty energy balls that filled with protein and energy-giving ingredients such as oats, rice, nuts, seeds and maybe a superfood or two, just perfect for powering you through that workout.

These little balls are a brilliant blend of protein, carbs and fat. Their ingredients are whole, nutrient-dense, filling, and pretty delicious too.

As you might have noticed, many flavours within the Bounce range contain whey protein – a common ingredient in protein powders and snacks. Though this may be great for some people, it’s a bit disappointing for those who are vegan or who don’t consume dairy. Whilst their previously lone vegan flavour Spirulina & Ginseng was indeed delicious, I always secretly hoped that Bounce would introduce more vegan-friendly balls to the shelves.

So, imagine how thrilled I was when the guys at Bounce told me they were releasing FIVE new vegan flavours to their range…and that they would like me to be one of the lucky bloggers that got to review them.

Needless to say, I said yes straight away.

In exchange for sinking my teeth into the new products, I needed to come up with a few recipes inspired by each new flavour: kale & almond, spirulina & almond, beetroot cashew, coconut cumin and cashew peanut.

Always ready to get creative in the kitchen, I got to work.

Here below are my recipes, which I hope you guys will try out and let me know what you think. I admittedly haven’t provided a dish for the cashew peanut ball just yet…that’s one that might require a little more thinking.

However, if two things have come out of this task it’s that a) putting beetroot in cakes is surprisingly good and b) I now ONLY want to bake my sweet potatoes in the oven for the rest of my days. The caramelisation you get is just INSANE.

Almond & Spirulina Smoothie Bowl

Serves: 1

This bowl was inspired by Bounce’s new almond & spirulina ball. This ball was actually my favourite of the set and goes well on top of any smoothie bowl! You can’t really taste the spirulina – its surprisingly sweet.

I used two frozen bananas for this bowl for extra sweetness and you can use whatever green powder you like.

Method

Nourishing Kale, Carrot & Courgette Salad w/ Almond Butter Dressing

Makes one large serving

Next in line for the sampling was the kale and almond ball. I thought this would be a good opportunity to experiment with an almond butter dressing. I see them being banded around on the net a lot and with a robust vegetable like kale, you need something creamy and nutty that’s bold enough to compliment it.

You can of course add any other veg you like for this salad. I always recommend adding sprouts of some kind because they’re so good for digestive health!

Method

Shred or grate the carrot and courgette. Place into a bowl with the kale, tomato, sprouted beans and whatever other veggies or seeds you’re using.

Blend the almond butter, chopped dates, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a high speed blender.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, add extra seasoning if needed, and enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cashew Frosting

These cupcakes are probably my second-favourite of all the recipes (see my favourite below). Very few people would say no to a red velvet cupcake, and Bounce’s new beetroot cashew ball is a perfect healthy version!

These babies use antioxidant-rich beetroot to get their rich vibrant colour, which is a much more natural alternative to synthetic red food colouring. Thanks to using apple puree in place of oil, they’re also much lower in fat. In fact, the only source of fat comes from the nutrient-dense cashew frosting!

TOP TIP: If you have trouble finding apple puree with no added sugar in the store, always check out the baby food section.

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C.

Sift the oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and cacao powder together until no clumps remain.

One by one, add the beetroot puree, apple puree and vanilla extract, stirring as you go until you have a smooth, purple batter.

If you’re using plain or wholewheat flour, you may find the mixture to be a bit dry. Have a cup of non-dairy milk on hand and add bit by bit until the mixture is smooth and moist.

Grease a cupcake/muffin tray with a bit of coconut oil and fill each mould about 3/4 of the way. Place into oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until a knife in the middle comes out clean. (Mine needed about 25 minutes.)

Whilst the cakes are baking, make the frosting. Drain and rinse the cashews, then blend them in a high speed blender with the coconut sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt. Place into the fridge to firm up for about 10-15 minutes.

Once the cakes are baked and cooled, spoon half a tablespoon of frosting onto each. Decorate with anything you like – I used a sprinkle of cacao powder.

Chickpea Chilli with Coconut Sour Cream

The idea of an energy ball containing cumin at first seemed a bit strange to me. However, I’ve tasted it, and it’s actually pretty delicious!

Cumin is one of those staple spices that immediately makes you think of warming, hearty food. The challenge to combine the flavours of cumin and coconut led me to creating my FAVOURITE recipe of the lot…chickpea chilli with coconut sour cream, on a baked sweet potato.

This chickpea chilli is really easy and so flavourful…it’s the perfect quick comfort meal for a busy day. The coconut sour cream adds an element of creaminess and goes well with the spices of cumin, chilli and ginger. And then you’ve got the sweet gooeyness of the sweet potato….it’s incredible!

You can have this chilli with rice, quinoa or pitta bread if you wish…but the sweet potato is my favourite. This was actually my first time trying sweet potato baked whole, and now I’m not sure I’ll have it any other way!